Lisa Zaval, Behavioural Scientist Consultant.

As an applied behavioural science consultant, Lisa Zaval has worked with an impressive client portfolio across sectors and domains. She shares research stories from her time in academia and her time in the private sector, and illustrates the similarities and differences between them. Lisa also talks about the importance of working across divisions within an organization to make a BI project successful.

Sarah Smythe, Service Design Specialist with the BC Ministry of Citizens’ Services.

Sarah Smythe is formerly a Knowledge Translation Strategist with the BC Behavioural Insights Group (BC BIG), currently a Service Design Specialist in the BC Ministry of Citizens’ Services, and always a really strong communicator. Sarah shares tips for how to communicate about BI with different audiences; she also talks about finding ways to use BI in a role and team that is less familiar with BI.

Kate White, Professor of Marketing and Behavioural Science at UBC Sauder School of Business.

Kate White is another amazing co-founding member of UBC Decision Insights for Business & Society (UBC-DIBS); her work is a great example of conducting Behavioural and Decision Science research that combines theoretical innovation with real-world applications and impact. Kate tells us how to use the “SHIFT” framework to encourage people to adopt sustainable and prosocial behaviours; she also highlights the importance of both context and testing to make sure BI is done well.

Dave Hardisty, Associate Professor of Marketing and Behavioural Science at UBC Sauder School of Business.

As a co-founding member of UBC Decision Insights for Business & Society (UBC-DIBS), Dave Hardisty is a great example of the intersection that we call BI — he conducts Behavioural and Decision Science research using rigorous experimental methods and data analysis to tackle pressing problems, like the climate crisis. Dave and I chat about one of his recent projects encouraging energy-efficient purchases; Dave also discusses the challenges, rewards, and ethical considerations of working with data.

Dilip Soman, Professor of Marketing, Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Science and Economics, and Director of Behavioural Economics in Action at Rotman.

Dilip Soman has been instrumental in advancing the practice of BI in Canada. He shares his journey to behavioural science, how he’s encouraging people to distinguish good and bad uses of BI, how academics and practitioners can work together, and where he hopes BI in Canada focuses over the next few years.

Christine Kormos, Senior Behavioural Scientist with the BC Behavioural Insights Group (BC BIG).

Christine Kormos may be the most well-rounded BI practitioner in BC! Christine started her career as an academic pursuing a PhD in psychology and is now a behavioural scientist with BC BIG. Along the way, she’s worked as a BI consultant and as a BI project client. Christine shares the inside scoop as she compares and contrasts the various roles and their approaches to BI.

Tobin Postma, Director of Intergovernmental Relations and Strategic Partnerships at the City of Vancouver.

Thanks to Tobin Postma’s championing of BI, the City of Vancouver was one of the first, if not the first, city in Canada to test using Behavioural Insights. Tobin gives a firsthand account of the unique challenges of using BI in a local government setting. There are useful takeaways for everyone, but this episode will be particularly interesting to capstone project teams working with local governments!

Julian House, Behavioural Scientist at the Ontario Behavioural Insights Unit.

The Ontario Behavioural Insights Unit (BIU) was the first provincial “nudge unit” in Canada and Julian House has been involved since his days as a PhD student at the University of Toronto. Julian and I talk about how the BIU started, how they use their MIST framework in problem scoping, and how they pair BI with other tools. Don’t “MIST” the opportunity to listen 

Isabelle Andresen, Behavioural Insights Consultant.

Having worked with organizations like the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) and the BC Behavioural Insights Group (BC BIG), Isabelle Andresen has a very impressive resume and well-honed BI skills. In our conversation we talk about project scoping, exploratory research, and obstacles and strategies for BI projects. It’s highly relevant to our Project Scoping and Exploratory Research courses so I strongly recommend giving it a listen!

Mikayla Ford, Methods Specialist with the BC Behavioural Insights Group (BC BIG).

To continue exploring the value of user research, I reached out to Mikayla Ford, who is a qualitative methods whiz. Mikayla and I reminisce about a BC BIG project where we used interviews and exploratory surveys to gain insight into why snowmobilers sled in areas that are closed to protect endangered mountain caribou.